Chapter 177
Tilda
Ethan slides me down his body as he lowers my feet to the ground.
I feel all of him.
Every inch of him.
We stand next to his truck that’s parked in the middle of the forest, staring at each other.
I want to drag his mouth to mine. And I know he wants to kiss me too.
But we don’t.
Because we both know once we start, we won’t stop. And we can’t get naked in the park. In broad daylight. In moaning distance of Opening Day.
Opening Day for Uncle Jack’s Wilderness Camp.
The warmth of Ethan’s love fills every inch of my body.
And looking up at him, I smile.
Ethan’s mouth matches my own, his lips tipping up at the edges.
“Take me home,” I whisper.
Ethan opens the passenger door. And I feel his hands on my hips as I climb into his truck.
He shuts the door when I’m settled, and while he circles around the hood, I reach out and drag my finger down the suncatcher hanging from his rearview mirror.
But I stay quiet as he drives us down some sort of service road.
I stay quiet as I hold my hand out between us. And he stays quiet as he places his palm in mine.
And I recognize the landscape when we come to a stop.
We never went onto a real road, just traveled through the woods. And we’re stopped in the clearing where Ethan showed me how to find the North Star.
Where he showed me how to follow his Starlight.
I follow him out of the truck and take his hand again as soon as I can.
And I squeeze his fingers as we walk to the fence line.
I let go of his hand as I step through the fence. As he holds the wires open for me. As the suncatchers dance with the movement.
And once we’re both through, our hands find each other again.
Then together, side by side, we walk to my front door.